Cargo bolster

ABSTRACT

A hollow cargo bolster, preferably of a truncated pyramid-like shape, is provided for holding cargo in place within the confines of the cargo space. The bolster is constructed of a resilient material which is semi-compressible, has grip, and a low-weight per unit volume, such as expanded polyvinyl chloride. Stop means are provided on the inner surface of the hollow bolster near the top to accommodate stacking and storage.

O Unlted States Patent 1151 3,678,865 Van Etten 1 July 25, 1972 [54]CARGO BOLSTER 2,498,804 2/1950 [72] Inventor: Wallace D. Van Etten, StarRte. Box 517, 2

Eustis Fla. 32726 l 3,494,301 2/1970 22 Filed: March 16, 1970 PrimaryExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman [2]] Appl' l9658 Attorney-Joseph Levinson s2U.S. c1 ..105/369 B, 105/367, 105/369 s 1 ABSTRACT 51 1m.c1...B6ld45/00,B60p 7 10 58 Field of Search 105/367, 369 B, 369 s; AP'efeably 214/105; 264/51, 54; 116/63 R, 63 P; 206/23; 220/97 C; 229/14C [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,485,202 12/1969 Platt..116/63 P 3,495,733 2/1970 Davis ..220/97 C shape, is provided forholding cargo in place within the confines of the cargo space. Thebolster is constructed of a resilient material which issemi-compressible, has grip, and a low-weight per unit volume, such asexpanded polyvinyl chloride. Stop means are provided on the innersurface of the hollow bolster near the top to accommodate stacking andstorage.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented July 25, 1972 I VE TOR WALLACE D.VAN ETTEN ATTORNEY CARGO BOLSTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A seriousproblem exists in stabilizing the cargo within the confines ofair-freight Igloos," containerized compartments, compartments of boxcars, trucks, or other bodies used as carriers in transportation ofvarious forms of merchandise. If such compartments and containers arenot packed properly, any sudden variation in the lateral or verticalmovement of the carrier can shift the cargo, resulting in damagethereto. Even when such compartments are fully loaded with all of thespace occupied, various shapes and sizes of the individual containersfor the cargo may not completely fill, or provide a balancedconfiguration for the cargo within the compartment, thereby requiringsome sort of external support or balancing of weight. One manner ofhandling the problem is to fill the blank spaces in the compartmentswith dummy packages or dunnage in the form of bags of loosely packedbulk material. The handling and storage with this type of solution iscostly and time consuming. Another manner of handling the problem is toinstall frames in the compartment to accommodate the shape of the cargo.This solution requires the building of a different frame for eachdifferent shipment which in most cases will not be reusable and whichmust in some form be affixed to the container, which eventually maydamage the container itself. Of course ropes, chains, and other meansmay be utilized, which are still costly from the labor standpoint, andonly moderately successful in handling certain types of bulky cargo.There is also the weight problem of the dunnage which is used. This isparticularly sensitive in air freight use.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cargodunnage means in the form of a bolster which is flexible and provides asimple solution to the cargo stabilization problem.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cargo bolster whichis light weight, easy to handle, and is less costly from a laborstandpoint than other methods of cargo stabilizatron.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a cargo bolsterwhich may be readily stored without requiring large storage areas whilethe units are not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In carrying out this invention in oneillustrative embodiment thereof, a cargo bolster is provided which ishollow, having a base and tapered side structure terminating in atruncated top, with the top being parallel to the base. The bolster isconstructed of a resilient, semi-compressible material having grip withother surfaces and a low weight per unit volume. A stop means is alsopositioned inside the hollow bolster on the tapered side structure nearthe truncated top to permit stacking when not in use and to accommodateseparation when in use.

4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric view of oneform of the cargo bolster embodied in this invention.

FIG. 2 shows a section through a cargo compartment illustrating the typeof use to which the cargo bolsters of FIG. 1 are applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. I, thereis shown the cargo bolster of the type embodied in this invention, whichis preferably of a pyramidal-like shape with either a square orrectangular shaped base. The bolster I0 is hollow and has a base 12 withtapered side structure 14 terminating in a truncated top 16 which isparallel to the base 12. The percentage of taper of the side structure14 may vary depending on the requirements of the carrier. A bar or otherform of stop means 18 is positioned on the inner side surface 14 nearthe top 16. The stop means 18 is provided to avoid binding of the unitswhen stacked for storage and provides a means for readily separating thebolsters 10 after they have been stacked and are desired to be removedfor use.

The type of material utilized for the bolster 10 is of extremeimportance. The material must be somewhat resilient, with strength incompression. It also must hold or grip well when in contact incompression with other surfaces. The surface of the material may berelatively smooth, but better results are produced if the surfaces aretextured or scored to give a better grip. It is also desirable that thematerial have a low weight per unit volume, particularly with respect toair freight use, where weight is an extremely critical factor. One typeof material which has been found satisfactory for all these requirementsis a product known as Serex, manufactured by Serex, Inc. of Twinsburg,Ohio. Serex is an expanded polyvinyl chloride material varying in weightafter manufacture from less than 4.5 lbs. to more than 30 lbs. per cubicfoot. The bolster I0 is preferably constructed or expanded closed-cellplastic material as afore noted because it has all the requiredproperties and also because it has great flexibility in weight per unitvolume. The thickness and the outer dimension of the unit together withits weight per cubic foot may vary to meet the requirements of thecarrier, but in all cases the bolster will be tapered in shape to causea wedging action when shoved into place in an unoccupied spacesurrounding cargo. Although the expanded polyvinyl chloride material ispreferred, other materials which have similar properties may beutilized.

FIG. 2 shows a freight or cargo compartment 20 to illustrate only two ofseveral ways in which the cargo bolster of this invention may beutilized. The cargo compartment 20 has a plurality of boxes 26, 28, 30,32, 34 and 36 which are housed therein. One bolster 22 is shown wedgedvertically between the containers 26 and 28 which will restrict lateralas well as vertical movement in the row of containers 26, 28 and 30.Another bolster 24 is shown aligned in a horizontal plane with the rowof containers 32, 34 and 36, with the bolster 24 having its larger basewedged between the wall of the compartment 20 and the container 36. Thisprevents lateral movement for this row of containers and verticalmovement of course is restricted by the upper row of containers and thebolster 22. It

will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the number of bolstersused and their particular positioning will depend on the type of cargocontainers in use and the amount of space left-over after the containershave been loaded. As has been pointed out, different shapes and sizes ofthe bolsters may be made to accommodate the different types of cargocontainers which are to be housed in the cargo compartment. Obviously,the cargo may be irregular in shape as well as square. The bolster unitsoffer the advantage of flexibility in installation, e.g., in-lineopposing position, in-line multiple positioning, staggered multiplepositioning, etc., to provide for full and snug bolstering action. Ashas been pointed out previously, to properly perform bolsteringfunction, the bolster provides a certain amount of resiliency, yetoffers strength and compression to offset impacts caused by any suddenvariation in lateral or vertical movement of the carrier. After use thebolster has sufficient resiliency to return to its original shape to beused again.

Since it has been pointed out that the material of the bolster containsa certain amount of grip, the stop means 18 provides the function ofpreventing binding of the units when they are stacked for storage. Bystacking, much less space is taken in storing the units between uses.Since warehouse space is important in cargo handling facilities, thismeans of stacking provides a distinct advantage over bulk type dunnagewhich is difficult to handle and takes up much space.

Another distinct advantage of the bolsters in accordance with thisinvention is that they may be molded or fabricated. Fabrication wouldconsist of cutting the materials into strips and assembling them.

The-pyramid-like shape and tapered side structure with the flat basesprovide a wedging action when the bolsters of this invention are shovedinto place in the unoccupied spaces of a cargo container. This shape andwedging action permits the bolster use with all types of irregularshaped cargo, and offers a wide variety of placement to provide thisaction.

Since other modifications, varied to fit particular operatingrequirements and environments, will be apparent to those skilled in theart, this invention is not considered limited to the examples chosen forpurposes of disclosure, and covers all modifications and changes whichdo not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

I claim 1. A cargo packing system for holding cargo in place within theconfines of a cargo space comprising a. a cargo compartment,

b. packaged cargo comprising rows and columns of containers positionedin said cargo compartment and filling less than andvleaving space insaid compartment which could cause cargo shifting therein,

c. a hollow, four-sided, pyramidal shaped bolster having a base andtapered side structure terminating in a truncated top which is parallelto said base,

d. said bolster constructed of an expanded closed-cell plastic,resilient material which has strength in compression, grip with respectto other surfaces, and a low weight per unit volume,

e. at least one of said bolsters being wedged in said space left in saidcompartment, said bolster being subjected to compression by the weightof said containers to provide said wedging action to hold said packagedcargo in place within said cargo compartment.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the material for saidbolster is expanded polyvinyl chloride.

1. A cargo packing system for holding cargo in place within the confinesof a cargo space comprising a. a cargo compartment, b. packaged cargocomprising rows and columns of containers positioned in said cargocompartment and filling less than and leaving space in said compartmentwhich could cause cargo shifting therein, c. a hollow, four-sided,pyramidal shaped bolster having a base and tapered side structureterminating in a truncated top which is parallel to said base, d. saidbolster constructed of an expanded closed-cell plastic, resilientmaterial which has strength in compression, grip with respect to othersurfaces, and a low weight per unit volume, e. at least one of saidbolsters being wedged in said space left in said compartment, saidbolster being subjected to compression by the weight of said containersto provide said wedging action to hold said packaged cargo in placewithin said cargo compartment.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1wherein the material for said bolster is expanded polyvinyl chloride.